“Rick Scott began 2013 hoping for political rejuvenation. According to the only judgment that matters — the people of Florida — he clearly failed,” Joshua Karp, a party spokesman, wrote in an email after the poll's Thursday release.

That 12-point Crist lead, though, is built on a foundation that largely favors Democrats.

The poll’s sample size includes a 9-point advantage for Democrats (39-30), which is not how the state’s electorate performs. In 2012, for instance, the voter turnout was comprised of 40 percent Democrats, 39 percent Republicans.

The 2010 election cycle was considered a historic wave year for Republicans, which made a net gain of 60 seats in the US House. Even during that surge, Republican’s turnout advantage in Florida was only 7-points (45-38).

And though the electorate performs differently each cycle, you would struggle to find a Florida pollster from either side of the aisle who thinks a 9-point gap is realistic. When Quinnipiac University surveyed the race in November, its sample gave Democrats a 32-29 edge.

Beyond questions about the partisan makeup of the poll's sample, it also uses survey results from just 318 people, a number most pollsters would deem far too small.

The poll’s sample also includes 84 percent white, 14 percent black, and 4 percent other, which is not reflective of Florida’s population. The sample used by Quinnipiac University, which ties its sample size to a state’s racial makeup, includes 68 white, 13 black, and 14 percent Hispanic.

St. Leo, a Catholic University located in Pasco County, has recently sprouted a polling institute. They use “cutting-edge online methodology.”

Online polls are a topic of some controversy in the political numbers world. There are those who embrace them as part of the future, while others question their accuracy.